Gianduia glass and hazelnut tile
- Vegetarian
- Energy Kcal 294
- Carbohydrates g 34.8
- of which sugars g 34.2
- Protein g 4.6
- Fats g 15.2
- of which saturated fat g 8.1
- Fiber g 0.5
- Cholesterol mg 34
- Sodium mg 102
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 30 min
- Cook time: 40 min
- Makes: 12 pieces
- Cost: Average
- Note plus the time for cooling the layers
PRESENTATION
Bicchierino al gianduia e tegola alla nocciola is a classic Italian treat. Seriously good. From the beautiful Piedmont region, this dessert is really where they know how to do sweets. I mean, it's all about those smooth layers: silky gianduia mousse, a drizzle of caramel, and that crunchy hazelnut note—Piedmont’s famous hazelnuts, you know. Served in these elegant glasses, it's pretty much the perfect size for a sweet finish after a meal.
What makes this dessert so special is the hazelnut mousse. It's light yet rich. When you scoop it up with some caramel and a shard of that crispy tegola cookie, it's just a mix of soft, nutty, and sweet all at once. People in Piedmont have a soft spot for gianduia—chocolate and hazelnuts, and this dessert really lets those flavors shine. And look, it’s not too heavy.
In northern Italy, there’s always this debate about which nuts make the best tegole. But, in Piedmont, toasted hazelnuts are the go-to. For sure. That’s where this Italian chocolate dessert gets its toasty, golden taste that goes perfectly with the mousse. The tegola—basically a super thin, crisp hazelnut cookie—sits on top, giving a nice snap to the whole thing. Not your average cookie, more like Italy’s answer to a delicate wafer, but nuttier.
This dessert is crafted for those who love a little bit of everything in each bite: smooth, creamy, and crunchy. If you love Italian dessert recipes that feel fancy but are really about letting good flavors speak for themselves, this one's a fantastic choice. Really. It's not just dessert—it's like getting a taste of Piedmont’s best in one glass, with every bit of the region’s passion for chocolate and hazelnuts packed in there. Plus, the whole experience is like a delicious journey to northern Italy, right from your table. And here's the thing, the tradition of combining chocolate and nuts creates something really, really special.
INGREDIENTS
- Ingredients for gianduia mousse (for 12 glass cups of 3.5 oz)
- Gianduia chocolate 8.1 oz (230 g)
- Condensed milk ½ cup (160 g)
- Whole milk ⅓ cup (80 g)
- Fresh liquid cream 1.3 cups (300 g) - (to be whipped)
- for the caramel mousse
- Sugar 1.1 cups (220 g)
- Water 2.75 oz (80 ml)
- Fresh liquid cream ½ cup (130 g)
- Fresh liquid cream 1 ¼ cup (300 g) - to be whipped
- Condensed milk 4 ½ tbsp (65 g)
- for the hazelnut tiles
- Nut flour 0.4 cup (40 g)
- Sugar ¼ cup (50 g)
- Egg whites 1
- Type 00 flour ⅛ cup (15 g)
- Butter 1 tbsp (15 g)
- Fine salt to taste
How to prepare Gianduia glass and hazelnut tile
To make the gianduia glass and hazelnut tile, start with the caramel sauce: pour the water into a saucepan, then add the sugar 1 and stir to moisten all the sugar 2. Turn on the stove and caramelize over moderate heat. In another smaller saucepan, pour the condensed milk 3,
the cream 4 and heat over low heat. When the caramel reaches a brown color, remove it from the heat and slowly pour in the mixture of warmed cream and condensed milk 5, stirring. Once the cream is incorporated, pour the mixture into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap in contact 6 and let it cool to room temperature (this will take about 40 minutes).
Cut the milk gianduia into cubes 7 and place it in a bowl. In a saucepan, place the fresh milk and condensed milk 8, heat until almost boiling and pour over the gianduia to melt it, emulsifying with a spatula 9.
Continue to emulsify with an immersion blender to obtain a smooth sauce 10, then cover with plastic wrap in contact 11 and let it cool to room temperature for about 20 minutes. Whip 21 oz of fresh liquid cream with electric whisks (or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk) 12
and gently fold 10.5 oz into the gianduia cream, mixing with an upward motion to prevent deflating it (13-14). Take glasses with a capacity of 3.5 oz. To create a more appealing composition, create a diagonal pattern: place the glasses tilted inside a small baking dish or a loaf pan. To support them, place crumpled baking paper sheets at the bottom, so the molds remain stable. Pour 1 oz of gianduia mousse into each glass 15, and let it set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Save the remaining mousse for the third layer.
Meanwhile, the caramel sauce will have cooled. Gently fold another 10.5 oz of whipped cream into the caramel sauce in three additions with a spatula to avoid deflating the cream (16-17). Pour about 0.9 oz of caramel mousse into each glass to create the second layer 18. You can tilt the glass in the opposite direction to create the diagonal pattern or proceed linearly.
Place in the refrigerator to set for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the cookies: toast the almonds and hazelnuts. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange the almonds and hazelnuts on top. Bake in a preheated static oven at 300°F for 30 minutes or at 265°F for 25 minutes if using a fan oven. After this time, let everything cool slightly 19, then peel the almonds and hazelnuts by hand, and transfer them to a mixer along with half of the total sugar 20. Reduce to crumbs. Transfer the almond and hazelnut flour to a large bowl and add the butter that you melted beforehand 21, mix until compact, using a spatula for help.
Add the sifted flour and mix well 22. With an electric mixer, whip the egg whites with the other half of the sugar. Then add the whipped egg whites to the mixture. Mix with a spatula 23 to combine and obtain a homogeneous mixture 24.
Line a baking sheet again with parchment paper and place small amounts of about 0.35 oz of batter 1-1.5 inches apart using a spoon. Flatten each drop of batter with the back of a spoon to form circles about 2.75 inches in diameter and 1/32 inch thick. To facilitate the operation, wet the back of the spoon so that the batter does not adhere too much to the surface 25. Once completed, bake in a preheated static oven at 355°F for 8 minutes or at 320°F for 3-4 minutes if using a fan oven. When they become slightly crispy and browned, remove the cookies from the oven and place them on a rolling pin. This way, they will dry and acquire the typical curved shape of the tiles 26. Take the glasses and pour the remaining gianduia mousse to complete the third layer 27. Finally, place a cookie on each glass and serve.